Internal combustion engine fuel intake device



April 1957' w. R. MANSFIELD INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FUEL INTAKE DEVICE Filed Sept. 9, 1954 7 INVENTOR /t//4 L/AA 1 MA Mr #754 a ATiQRNEY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FUEL INTAKE DEVICE William R. Mansfield, Union City, N. J., assignor of forty percent to Henry Knipper, Jr., Union City, and twenty percent to Cohen & Turtz, West New York, N. J.

Application September 9, 1954, Serial No. 455,014

4 Claims. (Cl. 257-241) exhaust tail pipe adjacent the discharge opening thereof and are drawn into the fuel intake path. Pursuant to the invention, a length of tubing is wound to define a coil which is so proportioned that it may be readily positioned over the engine exhaust tail pipe; one end of the coil is bent angularly internally of the coil for insertion through the open end of the exhaust tail pipe, to be disposed at the bottom thereof, while the other end of the coil is bent toward the first end-thereof, to be disposed externally of the coil. A number of the convolutions of the coil have their lower ends connected and are in turn connected with the carburetor and manifold as above mentioned, so that the water and heavy ends of gasoline collected at said lower ends of saidconvolutions will be drawn into the fuel intake path of the engine, pursuant to the invention, as present more fully explained. Gases and vapors which may not be thus withdrawn from the coil are automatically discharged through the end of the coil which is located externally of the exhaust tail pipe adjacent the discharge opening thereof. A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of one or more (preferably two) wire mesh screens disposed in preferably parallel relation internally of the engine, as for example, by disposing a plate intermediate the carburetor and manifold, with the Wire screens at the top and bottom of the plate; the plate has a passageway opening interiorly thereof and is exteriorly connected with a pipe secured at its opposite end to the said connected ends of the convolutions of the coil. By this arrangement, the heavy ends of gasoline and vapour are fed into the engine and through the passageway and the vapor and heavy ends of gasoline, thus discharged, are sprayed through the screens for uniform dispersion and mixing at the fuel path area of the engine.

I have found, in practice, that the device and method above mentioned are extremely useful in providing more efiicient and smoother operation of internal combustion engines. The device is automatically effective in direct ratio to the throttle opening, thus eliminating the danger of having excess or inadequate vaporization present in devices heretofore proposed for the purpose. Furthermore, the invention obviates the need for jars or reservoirs, with attendant freezing problems. The device of the invention may be installed in an automobile as original equipment or later added thereto; one installation should well suffice for the life of the car.

These and other advantageous objects, which will appear from the drawings and from the description hereinnited St s Patent F 2,789,796 Patented Apr. 23,

we a

after, are accomplished by the structure of my invention, of which an embodiment is illustrated in the drawings. It will be apparent, from a consideration of said drawings and the following description, that the invention may be embodied in other forms suggested thereby, and such other forms as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered within the scope and purview of the instant invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the exhaust tail pipe of an internal combustion engine, show ing a coil of the device of this invention secured thereto and connected to the carburetor and intake manifold of the internal combustion engine,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged sectional view, taken on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken of line 3-3 of Fig. 4, a

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of a coil convolution embodying a modified form of the invention and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view thereof on line 7--7 of Fig. 6.

As shown in the drawings, the device of this invention comprises a length of tubing 10 which is wound or otherwise formed as a plurality of convolutions 11 in spaced parallel relation to define an elongated coil 12, proportioned to be adapted to be positioned on the engine exhaust tail pipe 13 as shown in Fig. 1 of the internal combustion engine (not shown) said exhaust tail pipe having a discharge opening 14 for dis-charge of the exhaust gases of said engine. The engine is provided with a manifold such as shown in 21, Fig. 4, to which may be connected a suitable carburetor 22 or the like for the passage of fuel for consumption by said engine as through the fuel intake path 23 shown in Fig. 5. Pursuant to the present invention, a plate 24 which may be of any desired or convenient form, is connected with the manifold 21 as for example, by inserting said plate intermediate the carburetor and manifold as shown in Fig. 5. Said plate is provided with a passageway, Fig. 5, opening interiorly thereof as shown at 26 for example, Fig. 5, and having an external opening such as shown at 27, Fig. 5.

The coil 12 is so proportioned as to be adapted to be positioned on the engine exhaust tail pipe 13 to encircle the discharge end thereof, one end 15 of said coil being 'angularly bent and directed toward the opposite end, inwardly of the convolutions thereof and parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof so that, when the coil is positioned as aforesaid, said end of the tubing may be disposed on the bottom of the exhaust tail pipe internally thereof. The second end 16 of the coil is angularly bent and directed toward the first end outwardly of the convolutions of the coil and parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, so that when the coil is positioned as aforesaid the said end of the tubing will be disposed beneath the exhaust tail pipe (or otherwise) externally thereof and directed toward the discharge opening 14 of said pipe.

Pursuant to the invention, means are provided for connecting the lowermost arcs of a plurality of adjacent convolutions of the coil as by sections of tubing 29 and 30 (Figs. 1 and 2) to a further section 31 of tubing and thereby to a pipe (32) which may be flexible or may have flexible sections, connected at its other end, 33, to the exterior opening 27 of the plate 24. Tubing sections 29 and 30 may be separate short tubes connected to the lowermost arcs of the convolutions or a single tube 31 having apertured sections 29 and 30 as in Fig. 2 may be used.

Where, for example, the carburetor-manifold arrange ment is one having two intake ports as shown in Fig. 3, plate 24 would be provided with two corresponding port openings 34, 3S, and in that case a member, such as in bracket 36, may be utilized for connection of the end 33 of the pipe 32 with both of the external openings 27, 37 of the plate 24. A wire mesh screen 40 is positioned on the plate 24 to atomize and'vaporize the discharged matter at internal opening 26 of plate 24. A second screen may be provided, as noted at 41 of Fig. 4, and said screens may be disposed in parallel spaced relation, intersecting the fuel intake path 23 of the internal combustion engine and the internal opening 26 of the plate 24 being disposed intermediate said screens. The screens are preferably made of different non-ferrous metals.

The convolutions 11 of the coil 10, pursuant to the present invention, may, as shown in Fig. 6, be provided with fins 42,

As a further feature of the invention herein described, said fins may, as shown in Fig. 7 be asymmetric relative to the tube cross-section, being widest remote from the internal faces 43 of the convolutions which are, on use of the device, closest to the outer surface of the exhaust tail pipe 13 (see Fig, 7). Thus the fins are formed essentially on the outer cross-sectional area of the coil convolutions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An internal combustion engine fuel intake device for connection with an exhaust tail pipe having an open end for discharge of exhaust gases of said engine and with the fuel intake path defined by the engine carburetor and intake manifold, said device comprising a length of tubing formed to define a plurality of convolutions in connected parallel relation forming an elongated coil proportioned to be positioned on the engine exhaust tail pipe in encircling relation thereto, one end of said tubing being angularly bent at one end of the coil and directed toward the opposite end inwardly of the convolutions thereof so that when the coil is positioned as aforesaid on the exhaust tail pipe, the said end of the tubing will be disposed interiorly on the bottom thereof, for intake therethrough of exhaust gases, the second end of the coil being angularly bent and directed toward the open end of the exhaust tail pipe outwardly of the convolutions of the coil parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, so that when the coil is positioned as aforesaid, the last named end of the coil will be externally disposed on the exhaust tail pipe and directed toward the discharge end of the exhaust tail pipe for discharge of gases through said end of the coil, a tube connected at one end to the said fuel intake path, defined by the engine carburetor and manifold, the other end portion of the tube being connected with the interior lowermost portions of a plurality of adjacent convolutions of the elongated coil so as to collect the heaviest condensations of the gases passing from the exhaust tail pipe through the coil mounted on said pipe and into the lowermost convolutions thereof and thence through said tube into the fuel intake path, the gases not so passed into the fuel intake path passing upwardly through the convolutions of the coil with which the tube is connected and thence discharged from the free end of the coil disposed adjacent the discharge end of the exhaust tail pipe.

2. In an internal combustion engine fuel vaporization device as set forth in claim 1, said means connecting the lowermost arcs of a plurality of adjacent convolutions being sections of tubing connecting said adjacent lowermost arcs.

3. In an internal combustion engine fuel vaporization device as set forth in claim 1, fins formed on the convolutions of said coil at the outer cross-sectional arcs of the coil convolutions.

4. In an internal combustion engine fuel vaporization device as set forth in claim 3, said fins being formed asymmetrically relative to the tube cross-section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,333,856 Loelfelholz Mar. 16, 1920 1,420,615 Weber June 20, 1922 2,023,024 Kittell Dec. 3, 1935 2,079,676 Carson May 11, 1937 2,419,747 Wassman Apr. 29, 1947 2,584,674 Costa Feb. 5, 1952 

